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Climate activism isn't just for nonprofits and idealistic individuals. Sometime, major corporations get on board in a big way—literally, in the case of GE, which recently sent a 131-foot wind turbine blade to Washington, D.C.'s Nationals Park for the 2010 Congressional Baseball Game. The blade, which is 75 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty, comes from a 1.5 MW turbine manufactured in South Dakota that provides enough energy for 400 homes.

GE company teamed up with the American Wind Energy Association to gather signatures on the blade as it traveled 4,000 miles to its final destination in DC. Vic Abate, vice president for renewables at GE Energy, explained in a statement:

"Manufactured in South Dakota, the wind turbine blade symbolizes how
clean energy creates new U.S. manufacturing jobs in addition to
providing clean power for America’s homes and factories. It’s clear from the
more than 6,000 signatures on this traveling petition that Americans
are calling on the president and Congress to act now on clean energy
policies that will increase energy security, reduce dependence on
foreign oil and build a more sustainable clean energy future."

GE has a vested interest in a comprehensive climate bill. The company recently announced that it plans to boost its ecomagination initiative (a set of "cost-effective sustainable energy solutions") with an extra $10 billion in funding over the next five years. And GE is the biggest U.S. supplier of wind turbines. So while GE's turbine blade is mostly an attempt at corporate activism, it's also a giant advertisement for one of the company's most important products. That's green marketing at its finest.